April 2024 - Myanmar Special Weapons News

Border conflicts cause shortages, high prices for Myanmar traders: report Radio Free Asia 29 Apr 2024 -- Border traders throughout Myanmar are grappling with rising commodity prices and shortages of goods as fighting between the junta and forces battling to end military rule disrupts trade, an independent think tank said.
Thai-Myanmar trade hub reopens after 10 day shutdown for battle Radio Free Asia 30 Apr 2024 -- The major border crossing point for trade between Thailand and Myanmar reopened on Tuesday after being closed for 10 days because of fighting between Myanmar junta forces and insurgents battling to end military rule, residents told Radio Free Asia.
Myanmar refugees flee conflict and conscription VOA 30 Apr 2024 -- The battle between Myanmar's military and rebel groups for control of the southeastern border town of Myawaddy has seen thousands of refugees cross into neighboring Thailand in April.
Mired in military 'chaos,' Myanmar's junta locked into struggle for survival Radio Free Asia 29 Apr 2024 -- Just over three years since Myanmar's military seized control of the country in a February 2021 coup d'etat, the junta's grip on power is increasingly tenuous amidst a nationwide civil war that has spiraled out of control.
Myanmar guerrilla groups claim responsibility for bombings Radio Free Asia 29 Apr 2024 -- Guerrilla groups battling Myanmar's military have claimed responsibility for a series of bombings in the biggest city of Yangon, group representatives told Radio Free Asia on Monday.
ASSAM RIFLES RECOVER HUGE QUANTITY OF ARMS AND AMMUNITION ALONG INDO-MYANMAR BORDER IN NAGALAND India PIB 29 Apr 2024 -- Acting upon specific intelligence inputs, Assam Rifles intercepted huge quantity of arms, ammunition and other war-like stores close to the Indo-Myanmar Border in Mon district of Nagaland on April 29, 2024
Myanmar's economy is still in free fall Radio Free Asia 28 Apr 2024 -- While the Myanmar military regime's battlefield losses throughout the country are grabbing headlines, the country's dire economic crisis is further undercutting the junta's capacity to wage war.
Thailand closely watches battle for Myanmar border town VOA 27 Apr 2024 -- Thailand is staying alert as conflict in Myanmar continues, according to Thai government officials who visited Thailand's border with Myanmar this week.
Major rebel push in Myanmar closes in on pivotal Chinese megaproject VOA 27 Apr 2024 -- While Myanmar's rebel forces battle the military for control of a key border town in the east, another armed group has been closing in on a Chinese-funded oil and gas terminal in the west that could prove an even bigger prize.
Myanmar: EU restrictive measures renewed for a further year EC/CEU 26 Apr 2024 -- The Council has today prolonged the EU restrictive measures in view of the situation in Myanmar for one year, until 30 April 2025. The decision was taken on the basis of the annual review of the restrictive measures and in view of the continuing grave situation in Myanmar, including actions undermining democracy, as well as serious human rights violations
Myanmar closes border checkpoint amidst conflict Radio Free Asia 26 Apr 2024 -- Myanmar shut a main border crossing with Thailand early on Friday as junta forces carried out airstrikes in nearby areas, Thai officials and residents of the area told Radio Free Asia.
Myanmar junta attack on hospital kills 4, many injured Radio Free Asia 26 Apr 2024 -- A Myanmar junta airstrike on a hospital in the west of the country has killed four people, including patients and staff, and wounded 15, a rebel group told Radio Free Asia on Friday.
Video shows rebel group sentencing own fighters to death for 'abuse of power' Radio Free Asia 25 Apr 2024 -- The video opens with an overhead shot of 10 individuals wearing blue jumpsuits on a stage adorned with banners in Chinese and large loudspeakers before slowly pulling back to reveal hundreds of spectators - several of them clutching brightly colored umbrellas to keep the sun off their faces.
Junta recruits another 300 Rohingya in new round of conscription Radio Free Asia 25 Apr 2024 -- More than 300 Rohingya men from villages near Rakhine state's capital have been forced by junta troops to attend mandatory training for Myanmar's military over the last few days, residents told Radio Free Asia on Thursday.
Myanmar insurgents capture junta base in south Radio Free Asia 25 Apr 2024 -- Insurgents have captured another base from Myanmar's junta forces, this time in the far south of the country, in the latest in a string of setbacks for the military that overthrew an elected government in 2021, officials from anti-junta forces told Radio Free Asia on Thursday.
Bangladesh, Myanmar exchange prisoners amidst Rakhine strife VOA 25 Apr 2024 -- Bangladesh and Myanmar exchanged hundreds of their citizens from custody over two days this week, following a deal reached between the two countries. Bangladesh repatriated 288 members of Myanmar's Border Guard Police and other security agencies on Thursday, after Myanmar on Wednesday released 173 Bangladeshi nationals, mostly fishermen.
Junta recaptures key border base, but Karen rebels say fight isn't over Radio Free Asia 24 Apr 2024 -- Myanmar's military has reclaimed a key base in Myawaddy, a trading hub on the Thai border, after it fell to rebels earlier this month, an official with an ethnic Karen militant group said Wednesday. But he called its withdrawal "temporary" and said it has no intention of entering into peace talks with the junta.
Junta wields fear as a weapon with killing of civilians in Myanmar's Sagaing Radio Free Asia 24 Apr 2024 -- Junta troops arrested and killed nearly 90 civilians in northern Myanmar's Sagaing region during the first quarter of 2024, according to data compiled by RFA Burmese, including several elderly villagers and others who were unable to flee military raids.
Five Rohingya found dead after Arakan Army arrest Radio Free Asia 24 Apr 2024 -- Five Rohingya Muslims arrested by ethnic minority insurgents in western Myanmar have been found dead, sources close to the victims' families told Radio Free Asia on Wednesday.
Thailand warns Myanmar's rivals against using its soil for harm: ministers Radio Free Asia 24 Apr 2024 -- Thailand has warned Myanmar's junta and rebel groups against using its territory for "their own sake," Thailand's defense minister said, amid fears that fighting in eastern Myanmar could spill over the Thai-Myanmar border.
Thailand offers to mediate in Myanmar conflict, urges ASEAN involvement amid violence Radio Free Asia 23 Apr 2024 -- Thailand is ready to act as a mediator in the conflict in Myanmar and help bring about a comprehensive resolution to fighting between junta forces and rebel groups, the top Thai diplomat said during a visit to the border Tuesday.
Junta attacks in Myanmar's Bago region kill 8, displace 6,000 Radio Free Asia 23 Apr 2024 -- Junta attacks since the weekend in central Myanmar's Bago region have killed at least eight people and displaced around 6,000 people, a rebel official and residents said Tuesday.
Myanmar junta chief missing from public view after drone attack Radio Free Asia 23 Apr 2024 -- A senior Myanmar military official has not been seen in public for weeks following a drone attack, leading to speculation he might have been wounded, according to a political analyst.
Myanmar junta slams US aid plan VOA 23 Apr 2024 -- Myanmar's ruling junta, the State Administrative Council, is criticizing a U.S. aid package that is being funneled through opponents of the regime, saying the United States should consider whether its actions amount to support for terrorism.
In Myanmar, paying bribes to evade the draft Radio Free Asia 22 Apr 2024 -- Myanmar's military draft has created a cottage industry of corruption as administrators across the country offer eligible citizens a way out of fighting in exchange for a price, Radio Free Asia has learned.
Junta forces Rohingyas to protest ethnic rebels in Myanmar's Rakhine state Radio Free Asia 22 Apr 2024 -- Junta authorities in western Myanmar forced hundreds of Rohingya Muslims to protest an ethnic rebel offensive that has the military on the ropes in Rakhine state - and fining them if they didn't participate, residents said Monday.
US report: 'Ethnic cleansing' of Rohingya took place last year Radio Free Asia 22 Apr 2024 -- Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar's Rakhine state were subjected to "ethnic cleansing" by security forces working with vigilante groups in 2023, says a report released by the United States on Monday.
Nearly 80 die in 3 weeks at Myanmar refugee camps: aid workers Radio Free Asia 22 Apr 2024 -- Nearly 80 people at refugee camps in western Myanmar have died in only three weeks due to poor living conditions, displaced people and aid workers told Radio Free Asia.
Injured sent to Thai border hospital following Myanmar clash Radio Free Asia 22 Apr 2024 -- A Thai border hospital received nearly 40 injured people for treatment after a battle in neighboring Myanmar, according to Thai officials on Monday.
Analysts: ASEAN must 'find its backbone' in Myanmar VOA 22 Apr 2024 -- ASEAN has been viewed by the international community as the ideal political bloc to negotiate a resolution to the conflict that has beset Myanmar since its military, led by Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, ousted an elected government in early 2021 and sparked a civil war.
Karen rebel forces attack stranded Myanmar junta troops on Thai border Radio Free Asia 20 Apr 2024 -- Gunfire, artillery and exploding bombs could we heard early Saturday around Myawaddy, a Myanmar city on the Thai border across from Mae Sot, as an ethnic Karen army closed in on about 200 junta troops stranded near a bridge between the two countries, according to the Thai military and a Radio Free Asia reporter on the scene.
Political accord evades Myanmar's resistance groups despite battlefield bonds, gains VOA 20 Apr 2024 -- As rebel forces across Myanmar continue making major gains against the country's military regime on the battlefield, resistance groups are working behind the scenes to plan for the government they want to take the junta's place.
Thai leaders ready to increase humanitarian aid in Myanmar Radio Free Asia 19 Apr 2024 -- The Thai government is looking to expand humanitarian aid to Myanmar as fighting between junta forces and rebels intensifies across the border in Kayin state, a senior spokesman from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Friday.
5,000 flee military raids on villages in Myanmar's Sagaing region Radio Free Asia 19 Apr 2024 -- Nearly 5,000 villagers in central Myanmar's Sagaing region have fled their homes after junta troops conducted raids in Monywa township, home to the region's largest city, residents told RFA Burmese.
Junta troops kill 4 in post-amnesty Myanmar prison riot Radio Free Asia 19 Apr 2024 -- Prison and junta authorities killed four inmates following a protest in northern Myanmar jail, a resident told Radio Free Asia on Friday.
Myanmar: Rohingyas in firing line as Rakhine conflict intensifies UN News 19 Apr 2024 -- The UN's top human rights official on Friday raised alarm over the escalating violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state between junta and opposition forces amid reports of the military regime forcing members of the minority Muslim Rohingya community to join their ranks.
Thailand urges Myanmar's junta to free Aung San Suu Kyi Radio Free Asia 18 Apr 2024 -- The Thai Foreign Ministry urged Myanmar's military junta to release Aung San Suu Kyi in a statement that also welcomed this week's move of the former de facto leader to house arrest.
Ethnic army intercepts junta convoy on Thai-Myanmar border Radio Free Asia 18 Apr 2024 -- An armed ethnic group intercepted a junta convoy near the Thai-Myanmar border on Thursday, according to an announcement from rebel forces.
Arakan Army attacks another junta border outpost in western Myanmar Radio Free Asia 17 Apr 2024 -- Arakan Army rebels began an offensive against a junta police outpost on the Bangladesh border on Wednesday as Myanmar military forces responded with artillery fire, residents told Radio Free Asia.
Ethnic Mon groups announce anti-junta alliance in southern Myanmar Radio Free Asia 17 Apr 2024 -- Two ethnic armed groups in southern Myanmar have formed an alliance aimed at capturing military junta outposts and taking control of townships in Mon state, which has been relatively peaceful since the 2021 military coup.
Myanmar junta releases thousands of prisoners in New Year amnesty Radio Free Asia 17 Apr 2024 -- Myanmar prisons nationwide released over 3,000 prisoners on Wednesday, according to junta-controlled media, but watchdog groups said that few of those freed were political prisoners.
PLA Southern Theater Command conducts live-fire air defense exercises on China-Myanmar border Global Times 17 Apr 2024 -- The Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) will organize its land and air forces to conduct live-fire air defense exercises on the Chinese side of China-Myanmar border starting from Wednesday, the Southern Theater Command confirmed in a statement on Wednesday.
Myanmar junta attacks garrison in bid to rescue stranded soldiers Radio Free Asia 16 Apr 2024 -- Myanmar's junta launched an airstrike Tuesday on a military garrison in Kayin state that rebel forces captured last week and attempted to rescue dozens of its former occupants who had been sheltering near the country's border with Thailand, according to Thai soldiers and residents.
Myanmar's junta moves Aung San Suu Kyi to house arrest, report says Radio Free Asia 16 Apr 2024 -- Myanmar's military junta moved Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's former de facto leader, from Naypyidaw Prison to house arrest on Tuesday, Yangon-based Eleven Media reported.
Myanmar junta soldiers surrender in ethnic army's first Tanintharyi win Radio Free Asia 16 Apr 2024 -- Nearly 50 junta soldiers surrendered to an ethnic armed group in southern Myanmar, its political wing announced on Tuesday
Junta shelling, airstrikes kill 25 Rohingyas in Myanmar's Rakhine state Radio Free Asia 15 Apr 2024 -- At least 25 ethnic Rohingya civilians were killed and thousands forced to flee their homes amid junta airstrikes and heavy artillery over the weekend in western Myanmar's Rakhine state, according to residents.
Water festival attacks kill 3 during Myanmar coup leader's holiday Radio Free Asia 15 Apr 2024 -- Missile attacks on two universities in a holiday town in Myanmar killed three and injured eight, residents told Radio Free Asia on Monday.
Morale plunges amid setbacks as Myanmar's junta looks for scapegoats Radio Free Asia 13 Apr 2024 -- The State Administrative Council, as the junta is formally known, was shaken by the incursion of some 29 drones flown into Naypyitaw on April 4 that targeted the military headquarters, the Aye Lar airbase and leader Min Aung Hlaing's palatial residence.
Myanmar democracy icon Suu Kyi believed held in solitary confinement in Naypyidaw Prison Radio Free Asia 12 Apr 2024 -- For over a year, the whereabouts of Myanmar's jailed democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi has been a mystery. But a source close to her legal team told Radio Free Asia they believe she is in solitary confinement in Naypyidaw Prison, in the capital.
Thailand ready for any scenario on Myanmar border, foreign minister says Radio Free Asia 12 Apr 2024 -- Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has discouraged Myanmar's junta from further violence in the border region after the army lost a major border town, the Thai foreign minister said Friday.
Allied rebel forces capture last battalion in Myanmar border town Radio Free Asia 11 Apr 2024 -- Anti-junta rebels and allied forces on the Thailand-Myanmar border have driven out the military's last battalion from a major trade hub in Myanmar's Kayin state, the ethnic Karen National Union said in a statement on Thursday.
Myanmar: Middle class 'disappearing' amid uptick in brutal fighting UN News 11 Apr 2024 -- The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has warned that poverty is surging and the middle class in Myanmar is "disappearing" amidst worsening insecurity and conflict.
Residents flee Myanmar into Thailand as fighting intensifies Radio Free Asia 10 Apr 2024 -- More than 1,000 residents on Myanmar's border have fled to neighboring Thailand since Wednesday morning amid escalating armed clashes and junta airstrikes near the important trade town of Myawaddy, residents told Radio Free Asia.
Teacher, other villagers lead arson attack on Kachin village Radio Free Asia 10 Apr 2024 -- A female middle school teacher and other villagers who supported the Myanmar junta led troops and pro-junta militia in an arson attack on a Kachin state village that destroyed nearly 400 houses.
Rebels claim 2 junta bases in central Myanmar, taking 120 surrenderers Radio Free Asia 09 Apr 2024 -- Over 100 junta troops surrendered after guerilla-style militias captured two of their camps in central Myanmar, a militia member told Radio Free Asia on Tuesday.
Rebels push over 600 junta personnel out of Myanmar-Thailand border town Radio Free Asia 08 Apr 2024 -- Myanmar junta forces, pushed out by rebel groups at Kayin state's border township of Myawaddy, have requested to be evacuated with their family members through a Thai border town, Thailand's foreign ministry said on Monday.
Myanmar guerrilla group launches attack on military office Radio Free Asia 08 Apr 2024 -- An urban guerrilla group attacked a major administrative office in Myanmar's largest city, an official from the rebel organization told Radio Free Asia on Monday.
Arakan Army's gains enough to enable self-rule in Myanmar's Rakhine state Radio Free Asia 06 Apr 2024 -- The Arakan Army, or AA, is continuing their sweep across Rakhine, furthering the military gains of the ethnic Three Brotherhood Alliance, of which it is a member, in Shan state. While the capture of nine towns, with a tenth in southern Chin state, is another humiliating defeat for the Burmese military, it also sets the scene for a very messy political discussion moving forward.
Chinese delegation in Myanmar in bid to end conflict in western Rakhine state Radio Free Asia 05 Apr 2024 -- A Chinese delegation has traveled to Myanmar in a bid to end the conflict between the junta and the Arakan Army in western Rakhine state, Beijing's envoy to the United Nations said Thursday, but observers suggest there will be no peace unless the military regime makes significant concessions.
Ethnic army seizes city on Myanmar-China border Radio Free Asia 05 Apr 2024 -- An ethnic army captured a town near the Chinese border, less than a week after officials met in Myanmar's capital to discuss cooperation between the two countries, residents told Radio Free Asia on Friday.
Complaints over Myanmar's manufacturing sector tripled in 2023, report finds Radio Free Asia 05 Apr 2024 -- Employees in Myanmar's manufacturing sector reported three times as many labor violations in 2023 than the year before, according to a labor advocacy group's report.
Junta artillery destroys 400 homes, kills 5 in southern Myanmar Radio Free Asia 04 Apr 2024 -- Junta artillery shelling in the southern part of Myanmar killed five people and burned down an estimated 400 homes, the first major attack in relatively peaceful Mon state since the February 2021 military coup d'état, residents said.
Rebel drones target junta powerbase in Myanmar's capital, shadow govt says Radio Free Asia 04 Apr 2024 -- Rebel groups targeted the junta's military headquarters and air base in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw with 29 drones on Thursday in a rare attack on the military regime's stronghold, according to the shadow National Unity Government, or NUG.
UN underscores commitment to stay and deliver in Myanmar UN News 04 Apr 2024 -- The ongoing escalation of the conflict in Myanmar, more than three years after the military takeover, is severely affecting people across the country, with spillover effects in the region, two senior UN officials told the Security Council on Thursday.
As Crisis in Myanmar Worsens, Security Council Must Take Resolute Action to End Violence by Country's Military, Address Humanitarian Situation, Speakers Urge UN Security Council 04 Apr 2024 -- Bringing the multifaceted crisis in Myanmar to the fore, speakers urged the Security Council today to take decisive measures to end violence by that country's military and address the deteriorating humanitarian situation, also calling for the swift appointment of a United Nations Special Envoy to enhance the Organization's engagement on the matter.
After a year of silence, 7 political prisoners confirmed killed in Myanmar's Insein Prison Radio Free Asia 03 Apr 2024 -- Authorities at Myanmar's notorious Insein Prison shot seven political prisoners dead under murky circumstances on Valentine's Day last year, sources with ties to the victims' families and prisoner watchdog groups told RFA Burmese on Wednesday.
Series of junta attacks leave 6 dead in Myanmar Radio Free Asia 03 Apr 2024 -- Multiple junta attacks killed six civilians and injured 16 others over a two-day period, residents who experienced the ambush told Radio Free Asia on Wednesday.
Three-fold increase in civilian casualties caused by landmines and unexploded ordnance in Myanmar's escalating conflict UNICEF 03 Apr 2024 -- New data released by UNICEF reveals an alarming increase in civilian casualties - including many children - caused by the use of landmines and other explosive ordnance used by different parties in the escalating conflict in Myanmar.
Myanmar junta hosts China's envoy for border issue talks Radio Free Asia 02 Apr 2024 -- A Chinese official met with junta leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing to discuss cooperation between Myanmar and China, according to the Global New Light of Myanmar, a junta-backed newspaper.
Dozens of Rohingya killed in 5 months of renewed fighting in western Myanmar Radio Free Asia 01 Apr 2024 -- Junta airstrikes and artillery bombardments in western Myanmar's Rakhine state have killed 79 Rohingya Muslims and injured 127 more since ethnic Arakan Army rebels ended a ceasefire with the military in November, according to data compiled by RFA Burmese.
Police, soldiers injure 17 following Myanmar prison riot Radio Free Asia 01 Apr 2024 -- Police and prison guards injured at least 17 inmates in western Myanmar after a prison riot broke out, an advocacy group told Radio Free Asia on Monday.

NEWSLETTER

Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

April 2024 - Myanmar Special Weapons News